Archive for the ‘Crafts’ Category
Converting a Guitar Strap into a DSLR Camera Strap
I love camera gear, but there’s a serious lack of cute bags and straps out there for those like me who like to accessorize. I couldn’t find a camera strap I liked for a reasonable price, so I decided to make my own. I used my Mother’s old retro orange sewing machine from the 80’s which I love, although I did have to call her for threading advice.
I started with the Nikon strap that came with my camera, and then bought a PlanetWaves Retro Woven guitar strap. (And I got a discount, since I work at a music store! Woo!)
I didn’t want to go the obvious route and just keep the guitar strap as-is and attach the ends to my camera, because guitar straps are big and bulky and much too much for a camera on-the-go. So I cut the guitar strap into the length I wanted, and cut the nylon webbing off my Nikon strap, and sewed the two together.
It took some creativity, to be sure. I had to cut a slice to insert the camera strap webbing, make it a button hole so it wouldn’t fray, then really REALLY reinforce the stitching when sewing the two together. We’re talking, three or four passes of zig-zag stitching on every edge. (And let me tell you, all those layers of thick nylon was bulky! It’s a miracle I didn’t break the needle.)
It worked, and the strap was in a nice solid piece, but it kinda looked ugly with all the rampant reinforcement stitching. So with the leftover guitar strap that I didn’t use, I used a seamripper to detatch the ribbon from the black nylon webbing, and used that ribbon to create little triangle tipped end pieces to go on both ends, on both the top and the bottom, to cover the mess of stitching where the guitar strap and the camera strap webbing connected.
It’s still a slight mess, but you can only tell from inches away. All in all, I love how it turned out. I’m NOT a seamstress by any stretch of the imagination, so managing to make this without breaking something is a miracle. And isn’t it cute?? 
New Obsessions
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The first one? Fish.
I remember as a kid always having a fish tank in my room, with the warm bubbly sounds always wooing me to sleep. I loved watching the fish as I drifted off. It’s such a comfort. I had been wanting to get one for a while, and finally got one. (Against all of Steve’s urgings not to – we’ve had a fish disaster in the past. That’s another story. And it was a much smaller tank.)
I trolled craigslist until I found a good deal on an aquarium, and found a nice 25 (or so) gallon one for only $15 bucks. It was REALLY dirty and needed a new filter & lid, but I was sold. I spent the evening scraping it out, and cleaning it up (which is really gross if it’s someone else’s fish goo – not your own), and then filled it with water & installed a new filter. I let it run overnight to prepare it for the introduction of new fishies.
I must admit, one of the main reasons I wanted a fish tank was for Sooki’s entertainment. And let me tell you – she was absolutely enthralled by the thing – even before it had plants, gravel, or a single fish.
The next day I went and spent an embarassing amount of money on gravel, decorations, plants, a heater, a light, and a few starter fishies. Geez, I’m glad the aquarium was cheap, cause the rest was NOT.
This picture is of my aquarium that second day, after the initial setup. The plants are all quite a bit taller now, and I’ve added a bunch more fish. My tank now houses 3 Neon Tetras, 4 Glofish Zebra Danios, 1 Sucker fish, 2 Orange Chromides, 1 Glass Catfish, 1 Rosy Barb, 1 German Rams Head, and 1 Powder Blue Gourami.
Feeesh, by lemonjenny.
Luckily, this week I acquired another new weird hobby to occupy me, and save my fish from overcrowding. That hobby is….
Amigurumi Monsters.
Amigurumi is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed animals. I happened across this picture the other day while scouting Flickr for cute owl pictures, and I immediately had to know how to make one. So I pulled up some Youtube videos on “how to crochet” and then went to Walmart (it was 11:30 at night, and the only place still open) to buy some crochet hooks & yarn so I could try it out.
The first thing I made was a little round cat toy. Just a little ball. I stuffed it with catnip and Sooki went nuts. (She’s really liking all my newfound hobbies.) Then I tried making these little Owlets, and it turned out pretty good.
But then I realized that everyone makes little cute animals, and I wanted to make something WEIRD. So, inspired by my sisters art style, I decided I was only going to make weird looking monsters.
So, in the last three days I’ve made two little monsters. I had no idea when I started making them what they’d end up looking like, they just sort of were born out of my yarn ball. I love them. Steve is the “name bestower”, and I think the names he picked out suit these two guys just right. That’s Elmer on the left, and Clifford on the right:
Every day I just can’t wait to go home and invent another little monster. I think I might even open an Etsy store and start selling them. I’m not sure though, because these little guys would be hard to let go! Maybe I’ll just give them to friends? Who knows. All I know is that I’m a fishkeeeping amigurumi geek now. It’s quite fun.
Oh, and here’s an update on the whole City Weekly thing. I called and spoke to their Production Manager about it, and she said she’d mail me a check. I’m still waiting for it, and it’s been a while. Grrrrr.
